Returning the Favor
by Beth C
Summary: Long awaited sequal to Stranded. Shawn has caught Hunter's cold. How does the other half of DX deal with being sick? What does Hunter do? Read and find out! R&R please! Chap 3 UPDATED! Chap 4 coming soon!
1. House Show

I hate House Shows. No, wait, maybe hate is too strong a word for how I feel about the non-televised performances. It would be safer to say that I strongly dislike House Shows. At least right now. Maybe it's partially due to the fact that I know we aren't being taped and therefore allowed more leeway with what happens in the ring, maybe it's partly because tonight I just don't feel well.

Either way, I'd much rather be anyplace else except where I find myself right now. Which is in my locker room, warming up for my tag team match against Rated RKO. I can feel my head pounding and my throat is a bit scratchy. I reach over and pick up my bottled water from the bench next to me and unscrew the cap. Can't have a scratchy voice if I'm going on the mic tonight. The water is cool and soothing as I take a few swallows before capping the bottle again and setting it down next to me.

I wipe the extra moisture from my lips and cough lightly into a closed fist. If I can make it past tonight's match, we won't have any appearances for the next four days. I could then rest up and shake whatever has gotten a hold of my body. My head does not agree with that thought and pounds more insistently, urging me to listen. Which of course I don't.

I continue to stretch and limber up my muscles, doing the best I can, when the locker room door opens and allows my tag team partner into the room. I can see from the slight sheen of sweat already covering his broad shoulders that he has already warmed up. He looks ready to attack someone, even with the smile upon his face that he bestows on me. I can tell he sure is feeling good tonight. He should, as he has passed his malady on to me. Hard to believe that four days ago he was sick in a bed, whining about how ill he felt, and getting waited on hand and foot.

Now tonight he was on top of his game while I was the one feeling under the weather. I finish the last of my stretching exercises and try to shake this feeling of ill that has gripped me tonight. I'm hoping I don't look as bad as I feel, for I do have an image to portray, even if it is a lousy House Show.

My partner shatters that illusion with his first words to me. "You okay, Shawn? You look like shit."

I hadn't been aware that he had been scrutinizing my appearance while I had been stretching. Now I could see the faint look of concern in his hazel eyes as he rakes them up and down my body.

I shrug and try to brush him off. "I'm fine, just a bit tired." I get up off the bench and go to my bag to get my T-shirt that I'll be wearing to the ring. "I've never liked this cold weather."

He senses that there is more but wisely doesn't say anything. He just shrugs back at me and gives me that smile again. The one that says without saying a word that he's glad it isn't him. He claps me on the back once and reaches for the door. "Our match is up next. I'll be waiting at gorilla."

With those final words he slips out the door and is gone as quickly as he had appeared. I sigh loudly in the now empty room and walk over to the sinks. One quick look at my image in the mirror and I can tell that he is right. I do look like shit. I place my shirt next to the sink and ponder what to do next. I don't have much time, as I know the match now ongoing will be ending shortly.

Turning on the faucets, I splash some cool water on my face and try to rub the dark circles from under my eyes. It helps a bit as the cool water relieves some of the puffiness that had been forming there. I cup a handful of the water and wet the top of my head, using the liquid to tame the frizzy locks of my hair.

I turn off the water and grab a few paper towels, drying my face and hands before grabbing my comb and quickly fixing my hair into my normal ponytail hairstyle. It was then that I noticed that my nose was starting to run. I roll my eyes and pull out a few more paper towels giving it a quick blow and a rub to tend to it. A glance back at my image showed a more presentable, yet still pale reflection. It would have to do.

I grabbed my shirt and carefully placed it over my head and shoulders, not wanting to muss my hair just yet. That will come soon enough with our time in the ring. At least I wouldn't have to blade myself tonight, and for that small bit, I am thankful. House shows are good for that at least. No one really expects blood.

I open the door to our locker room and make my way backstage, trying to smile and act my normal, happy self. I find Hunter exactly where he said he would be, and that is waiting just at the curtain to the ramp, looking at a nearby monitor as he waited for the match onscreen to end. House Shows may not be filmed live, but there are cameras present to allow filming for the Titantron.

He glances up at me and nods. I take my position next to him as the match concludes with Jeff Hardy giving Johnny Nitro a Swanton Bomb off the top turnbuckle for the pin. The bell rings and Lillian announces Jeff as the winner.

I turn away from the curtains to cough again, earning myself a strange look from Hunter before he focuses his attention to the wrestlers now coming backstage. Nitro is first, looking quite tired and very sore.

Next comes Hardy, his face glowing with the joy from his win. Yes, it was just a House Show, but a victory is a victory nonetheless. He greets us with a few high-fives before making his way backstage to the locker room area.

Our match is next, and I take the last few minutes to try to shake the cobwebs out of my brain. My nose is running again but this time I have nothing nearby with which to blow it on so I just sniff loudly and rub the back of my hand under it. Hunter is too busy to notice me now, as he prepares for our entrance. He's got a water bottle in one hand and has put on one of the DX T-shirts.

Our music hits and I know now that it's time to go.

_Are you ready?_

That music never fails to pump me up as the first beats hit the arena. I can hear the crowd start to pop and I smile to myself. Funny how little things can make people happy.

_You think you can tell us what to do?_

I bounce in place lightly, it's just about time. I always get hyped behind the curtain. It helps me get in the proper mind set for being in the ring.

_You think you can tell us what to wear? You think that you're better? Well you better get ready... to bow to the masters..._

Here we go... I see Hunter now move the curtain and the roar of the crowd doubles.

_Break it down!!!_

Hunter leads the way out of the gorilla position and the stadium erupts as I follow him out. Our music is the drumbeat behind us, but I no longer focus on the words, I'm filled with intensity now, feeling the enthusiasm from this packed arena. We reach the ring while the music is still playing and take up our positions, with him on my right and raise our arms.

I lower one quickly to scrub at my leaking nose again which earns me a frown from Hunter. I put the arm back up and on the count of three we do the DX crotch chop. Three chops and the pyro hits behind us, then a single chop.

We go to the turnbuckles and do a few poses, then I go and get the microphone. I run around the ring with it a few times as the crowd continues to cheer. Finally the music stops and I hand the mic over to Hunter.

He glances at the capacity crowd and brings the mic to his lips. "Quiet, please." He waits a minute as the crowd settles down some. "Can we have quiet please?" He asks again and the noise dims a bit more.

I feel a tickle starting to grow in the back of my nose and sniff while rubbing it against my shoulder. Now is not a good time for my body to be doing anything out of the ordinary. I focus my attention on Hunter and try to ignore my symptoms. He's looking out at the crowd. "Hartford... Are you ready?"

The stadium erupts again and he smiles. "I said ... ARE.. YOU.. READY?" He is yelling into the mic and the audience is eating it up. The noise is now so loud that he has to wait again so that he can do his next part.

It quiets again and I get into my position, bent in half, hands on my knees while he does his bit. "For the thousands in attendance," he starts out. My nose is itching again, so I wiggle it, and sniff deeply.

"And for the millions not watching at home," he continues as the audience erupts in laughter. "Hey, it's a House Show, we aren't live." This itch is maddening but I don't want to call any further attention to myself.

"Lllllettts get ready to... SUCK IT!!" He yells now and raises the mic while doing a one handed crotch chop. The crowd is wild and crazy, popping and cheering. He hands the mic to me and I know now that it's time to do my bit. I take it with a small sniff and a rub of my nose that is now feeling like there are 1000 ants crawling inside it. He raises one eyebrow as I turn away from him.

"And of course if you're not down with that," my breath catches momentarily as the itch has now built into the urgent need to sneeze. Somehow I hold it back, but it's a fight. "Then we've got," my breath catches again and Hunter is staring at me like I've grown a second head on my shoulders. "Two words for you," I rush the last bit out as I lose the battle with the sneeze._ "Heh-KESHhhhh!"_

The audience was in the process of screaming "SUCK IT!" when the sneeze reverberated through the whole arena. I had barely enough presence of mind to pull the mic away from my face, but it still picked it up. The yell of "SUCK IT!" quickly changed to a yell of "BLESS YOU!!"

Hunter had retrieved another mic while I stood frozen to the spot, completely and totally embarrassed. I felt my cheeks grow hot as I blushed furiously. I wished the ring would open up and swallow me.

Hunter was giggling and nearly choking on his laughter. "Gesundheit, Shawn._"_

I finished wiping my nose with the back of my hand and wiped that on my pants leg. "Uh, thanks," I said to him and to the entire building for the impromptu blessing. I was mortified by now and quickly turned my mic off. I changed my mind about House Shows, as I would have died had that been live.

Hunter handed over his mic to the referee as Edge's music started. I walked over to our corner and removed my shirt. Hunter joined me as Rated RKO made their way to the ring. He was still smiling and trying very hard not to laugh.

I shoot him a death glare. With the way I was feeling, being humorous was not on my agenda.

"Well, it was funny, Shawn." he states pointedly as he keeps one eye on the tag team champions.

I'm saved from having to make any other replies as the referee has started the match. Edge starts out against Hunter and I'm left on the apron watching and waiting for my turn. My nose begins itching again and it's all I can do to keep my concentration on what is going on in front of me. My mind keeps drifting toward thoughts of the hotel room bed, some pillows and some warm blankets.

I'm jolted back to reality by a slap on my shoulder. Hunter had obviously been reaching for a tag and I hadn't been paying attention. "Sorry," I mumble to him and take his place in the ring. I notice that I'm up against Orton now. When had they changed places? Had I been daydreaming that long? I toss Orton into the far turnbuckle and give him a couple of knife edge chops across the chest then climb the turnbuckles to give him a couple of shots to the head as well.

I sniff loudly as I'm climbing and I can hear Orton mocking me from below. "Whatsa matta, Shawn? You gotta cold?"

"Shut up," I reply and begin hammering on his head. About the third punch, I have to turn away to sneeze again. _"ehh-KEHHTchhhh! Hehh-EKKTshhhh!" _The double sneeze caught me off-guard and I tried to smother most of it in my shoulder.

"Ewww!" I hear Orton say from below me and he shoves me off of him. "You sneezed on me!"

I fall off my perch and land on my butt hard. I already felt miserable so I allowed my misery to show on my face. The audience was eating this up. I hear a slap of a tag being made and groan. Orton may be the whiner of the two, but Edge was the stiffer. He didn't like to pull his punches much when in the ring. That spear could really hurt.

Edge pulls me up by my hair. He gives me a couple shots to the head which I'm now not in any state of awareness to block. He throws me into the turnbuckle hard. I know instinctively that he's setting me up for the spear, so at the last moment, I sidestep and he goes crashing into the ring post.

I look around and spy Hunter on the apron, trying to get the crowd into this. I hear the chants of 'HBK' and try to allow that energy to fuel me. Edge is now moving toward me. I pick him up in a scoop slam and drop him to the mat hard.

I go to the turnbuckle to climb it to give him the flying elbow, but as I reach the top, my nose betrays me yet again. _"Heh-ehhhShooo! EhhhKetchhh!"_ The sneezes this time throws me off balance and I miss the elbow shot. I slam into the canvas hard, taking most of the fall on my back. The pain upon impact is immense. I roll around on the mat for a bit, trying to allow the pain a chance to subside.

Edge gets up and drags me over to his corner where Orton grabs my feet and pulls me so that I am straddling the ring post. Edge has the referee distracted or something because this is not being stopped. I'm too busy trying to pull my feet back in the ring, but Orton has a firm grip and yanks hard until my groin smashes into the steel. This new anguish overshadows my back pain and I fold up in half.

I hear boos from the crowd as Edge scoops me up and tries for the bodyslam but I use my weight to push him down and pummel him repeatedly on the face and neck. My body is in agony and all I want to do now is tag out. I climb off Edge and run for the ropes as he gets back up to give him a clothesline, but he tackles me with the same maneuver. I fall to the mat gasping for air.

I lay there just breathing, trying to get my wind back. Between my nose running, my sneezing and my off sense of balance I wasn't doing very well this match.

I hear Edge moving around and turn my head slightly.. He's heading back towards his corner and it's all I can do to drag myself back to my own corner where I barely am able to make the tag to Hunter who is really looking at me oddly.

I collapse on the apron, my head swimming. I hear the match going on in the ring and I try to stand so that I can help if needed. It takes two tries before I find my balance and I focus on the activity going on. Hunter is being double teamed so I duck through the ropes and head towards Edge who has his back towards me, probably thinking I'm still down.

He turns around and I nail him with a superkick. It wasn't planned but it worked out perfectly. Hunter is still pounding on Orton so I step back and head towards our corner. I hear the crowd pop and see Hunter finishing up his pedigree on Orton. He then goes for the cover and gets the 1,2, 3. I hear the bell and our music starts to play as Lillian announces us as the winners.

The referee walks over and raises my hand, and Hunter's hand too. The crowd is popping and I'm just glad it's over. My nose is running again and as I go to wipe it I manage to stifle what would have been a rather wet sneeze. _"HehhheCHIshh!"_

I sniff back any remaining tickles as I rub under my nose. Hunter is pointing up the ramp and I know it's time to leave the ring which I am more than happy to do. I slide out under the bottom rope and start to head up the ramp. I know that Hunter is following behind me.

We get greeted by a few people on our way back to our locker room and got a few words of encouragement along the way. I kept my head down and my talking to a minimum just so we could get to the room quicker.

Once we did and I was safely inside I grabbed a few paper towels and collapsed on the bench. Everything on my body hurt, or was throbbing, and all I kept thinking about was that nice bed waiting for me back at the hotel.

I rest my head in my hands, crumpling up the paper towels as I did so. I didn't care.

Hunter stepped over to my side and rested one hand on my back. "Shawn, are you okay?"

I shake my head a little bit and moan.

"Want me to get a trainer?"

"No," I tell him as I raise my head some. "I'll be fine. I just want to shower and get back to the hotel."

"You sure?" he questions me again. "You don't look so good."

I start to answer him but end up burying my nose into the paper towels. "_EhhhKetchhh! HahChuhhh!_" I blow my nose afterwards and sigh.

"Gesundheit."

"Thanks." I rest my head back on one of my hands, the other is holding the crumpled and well used paper towels.

"You caught my cold, didn't you?" he asks me after a moment of silence.

I nod and crane my head to look up at him. "That's a very good guess."

He reaches for my arm. "Come on, Shawn. Let's get you in the shower and back to the hotel. Becca is gonna kill me for this."

I let him lead me towards the showers, tossing the paper towels into a nearby trash bin as I passed it. "I don't think she will, it was unavoidable. Besides, it's just a small cold. I'll be over it in a few days and everything will be fine."

He turns on the hot water and allows it to run for a bit to get it going. "I guess that is why your timing was off in the ring today?"

"Yeah." I bend down to take off my boots and almost fall over. It was Hunter's fast reflexes that kept me from hitting the floor. He drags me over to a bench and sits me down.

"Feet up, Shawn." he orders.

I groan. "Hunter, I can take off my own boots."

"Sure you can, that's why you almost kissed the tiles. Feet up, Shawn." He starts reaching down to my feet when I'm reluctant to raise them.

Not having enough energy to fight him I allow him to remove my boots and socks which he stuffs into the boots. He then stands me up. "Can you remove the tights or do I need to do that as well?"

I toss him a look that says that he better not even try it. "I can do it, I'm not a kid."

He backs down holding up both hands in front of him. "Okay, okay. I'm going to get you a towel and some Tylenol. Get washed up so we can both get back to the hotel."

He leaves the showers and I slowly remove my tights, tossing them in a ball on top of my boots. I move back the curtain and step under the hot spray. The water feels good on my skin, even better on my sore muscles. I reach for the soap that is on a nearby shelf and quickly soap up my body then rinse the suds away before working on my hair. A quick lather up and rinse, then condition and rinse and I was ready to get out of the shower. I stick my head out of the curtain to find Hunter standing there holding a towel.

"You done?" He asks me.

I reach back in and turn off the water before sticking my hand out to take the towel. He hands it to me and I disappear back into the shower stall to quickly dry my body off and wrap the towel around my waist. I step out from behind the curtain and shiver in the cold air. My head has gone beyond pounding and throbbing to a new level of pain as I place one hand on the wall to hold me up. I'm also starting to feel a bit dizzy. I lean against the wall for a moment, trying to restore my sense of equilibrium.

Hunter takes my arm and wraps it behind his neck. "Come on now," he tells me as he leads me towards the main locker room area. We get there and he sits me on a bench and brings me my bag which he places at my feet. He also hands me a bottle of water and pops open the cap on the bottle of Tylenol he was carrying. "How many?"

"Three," I advise him and uncap the water bottle. He hands me the pills and I swallow them in a quick gulp of water. I manage to cap the water bottle just before the next series of sneezes hits my chilled body. _"Heh-eh"_ I gasp as my eyes flutter closed with the effort of drawing out the sneezes. _"Heh-KESHhhh! Heh-EhhShoo!" _They finally hit me and I whimper from the extra pain going through my forehead. I had only made half an effort to cover them with one hand which I now rubbed on the towel.

Hunter reached into my bag and pulled out one of the handkerchiefs that Becca makes me carry around. He places it in my hand. "Blow."

I oblige him only because my nose was still running and felt quite congested even after the sneezes. Once done, I look up at him. "Happy now?"

"Can you manage to get dressed while I hop in the shower?" He grabs a towel from his bag on a nearby shelf.

I swallow, wincing at the pain in my throat that is slowly turning into raw fire. "Yeah. I think so."

He pats me on a the back a few times. "It will all pass quickly, Shawn." Then he turns and disappears down the hallway that I had just left. I reach into my bag and pull out my underwear, my jeans and a T-shirt. I also pull out the sweater Becca made me pack and a pair of socks.

By the time Hunter has returned I'm mostly dressed, and just finishing up putting on my sweater and boots. He looks healthy and clean while I feel sick and tired. He hands me my tights and boots which I had left back in the shower area. I take them and stuff them in my bag and zip the thing closed.

He starts getting dressed unashamedly in front of me, but I'm not really paying any attention to anything other than my traitorous runny nose and my throbbing head. I've finished off the water he had brought me and now I'm partially leaning against the wall. As I swallow, I begin to cough, bringing one fist close to my mouth but lacking the effort to really keep it there.

The spasm passes and I slump back against the wall. "Hurry up," I partially whine and partially croak.

He turns to me. "I'm doing the best I can. Just close your eyes and rest."

I do so, letting my eyes slide closed and thinking of the cool sheets waiting for me back at the hotel. It's the last thing I remember before falling asleep.

To Be Continued


	2. Back to the Hotel

"Shawn."

"Come on Shawn, we're here."

I hear his voice through a haze and I struggle to open my eyes. Pain shoots through my forehead as awareness starts to filter into my mind. I can feel something cold up against my right cheek and my neck is sore. I try to reach up a hand to rub at my neck but it will not obey the command my fog filled mind is giving it. It lays lifelessly on my lap, palm up and fingers splayed.

"Shawn, can you hear me?"

As I become more awake, I realize that not only can I not move, I'm having difficulty in breathing as my nose is nearly completely blocked and my sinuses feel like they have been filled with quick-set concrete. I struggle to take in a breath of air and find that useless to do through my nose, so I open my mouth and breathe that way.

My eyes are now open, my vision is going from bleary to a bit clearer, and I see Hunter sitting across from me in the car. I realize now that the cold upon my cheek is the window and my neck hurts because I've been sleeping with my head pressed up against the glass in an undignified manner.

"Mhmumhgh?" I mumble to him, trying to draw some moisture into my mouth. I must have been breathing with my mouth open while sleeping as my tongue has dried out. I finally get my hands to listen to the signals that my brain has been sending and raise one to rub at my tired eyes.

Hunter reaches over to nudge me with one hand. "We're here. Wake up, Shawn."

"M'up." I mumble again and shift my body so that I'm not smashed against the door any more. Hunter unbuckles my seatbelt and I shrug my way out of it. "Wader?" I ask while trying unsuccessfully to lick my lips.

He reaches behind the seat and grabs a bottle of water from his bag and hands it to me. It takes me two tries before I'm able to take the cap off and bring the bottle to my lips. It's not easy to both drink and breathe at the same time, so I alternate between taking a breath and taking a sip.

I try to sniff at one point but the thin stream of air that does manage to make it past my nostrils is barely enough to sustain life and to top it off I start to cough from the effort. Hunter takes the water from me and raps me a few times on the back until the fit passes. I slump weakly in my seat, spent from just that little effort.

I look around the car, trying to remember exactly how I got in the car, and the only thing I can recall is being half dragged from the locker room. I don't remember walking but I do remember seeing the ground passing while my head was spinning. Hunter must have aided me to the vehicle. He's attempting to get my attention. "Huh?"

"Can you make it in the building or do I have to carry you?"

"I can wadlk," I try to tell him, hoping that I could walk. I might need some help, but I think I can stand on my own two feet. I'm certainly going to try.

Hunter exits the car and walks around to my side, opening the door for me. I feel the cold of the night hit me square in the face and I shiver. Now I wish I had remembered to grab my DX beanie from my bag as my head is rapidly cooling off. I pull my jacket tightly around my body as I swing my legs out of the car.

I pull myself up and out of the seat, holding on to the door for support as the ground swayed drunkenly in front of me. _Whoa, _I think to myself. _Can't the Earth sit still for just a moment?_

I go to take a step and would have taken a sharp nosedive into Hartford's grey slush that pooled at my feet if not for Hunter's hand upon my arm. He must have suspected that I wouldn't be able to walk after all.

I hear him sigh as he draped one of my arms around his shoulders and kicked the door closed once I was clear. "Let's go, Shawn. The sooner we get you inside the building, the better."

I couldn't agree with him any more as a cold gust of air blew across us and mussed up my hair. I shivered in his grasp as he slowly helped me and my wobbly legs into the foyer of the hotel. The lights were bright inside and I reflexively closed my eyes against the unwelcome intrusion of extra pain into my forehead. I hear Hunter telling something to the bellhop about our bags in the car and then feel myself being aided in walking again.

I squint my eyes open and find us heading towards the elevators. Luckily they are deserted and available on the ground floor at this time of the night. The doors open up at the push of a button and we enter. I'm starting to feel a bit more sturdy with the more time I spend in an upright position and I lean towards the wall as I release my grip on my friend.

Hunter presses the button and the doors slide closed. In less time than it takes me to think, we arrive at our floor and the doors open again. He goes to help me out of the elevator, but this time I refuse his help. He backs away a bit and allows me to walk, albeit a bit shakily, out of the elevator first. He then passes me and leads the way towards our room.

We were sharing the room tonight as Stephanie and Aurora were visiting Shane and Marissa this week. It was too cold to keep taking the baby out, and Hunter had insisted that she keep the baby safe. She had agreed and arrangements had been made so that she got to see her older brother and his wife for the duration of their stay in Hartford.

Hunter uses his keycard to open the door and steps inside, turning the lights on as he does so. I follow him in and then collapse on the first bed I see. _Guess this one will be mine._

Part of me wants to stay exactly the way I fell, spread-eagle out on top of the covers, but the other half of me wants to crawl under the blankets. I lack the energy to decide right at the moment so I just lay there and listen to the sound of Hunter moving about in the room.

A knock shortly signals the arrival of our bags and Hunter helps the bellhop deposit them in the room before giving him a tip and sending him on his way. I'm finally able to sit up and struggle to at least get myself into a more suitable position on the bed.

The effort triggers another coughing fit, and I'm left feeling worse than crap when it ends. Hunter is busy rummaging through his bag, putting a few things in the drawers provided.

I reach down and pull off my boots and drop them to the floor where they land with a heavy thud. My stocking feet now feel more comfortable and that alone was worth the effort I put into taking the darn things off. Next I remove my jacket and toss it onto a nearby chair. Hunter walks over to my bed and hands me a glass of water and a small bottle of pills.

"Whad are deese?" I try to ask through my blocked up nose.

"Antihistamine," he responds. "It'll help you breathe by reducing the swelling in your sinuses."

_Sounds good enough to me, _so I take the bottle and shake out a couple of the pink pills. I swallow them easily with a gulp of water then hand him both the bottle and the glass back. He places both on the table between the two beds.

I shove my hand in the front pocket of my jeans and pull out the handkerchief I had stuffed there before while getting dressed. I turn away from Hunter, and attempt to blow my nose but the effort only frustrates me as very little is accomplished by this maneuver. I'm lucky to get any air _in _my nose, so getting it back out is futile.

Hunter has moved back across the room and I can hear him undressing for bed. I was comfortable as I was, and wasn't about to expend any more energy in stripping. For tonight I could sleep in my clothes. I didn't care.

He comes back over once he's done changing and helps me lower the covers on my bed. I slide under them, thankful for the warmth they provide as he covers me. I'm just settling down and starting to feel completely comfortable when yet another coughing spasm grips me and I have to sit back up to allow it to pass.

I whimper, knowing he should understand how I feel, as he just had this cold less than a week ago. Hunter pats me on the back, and then changes to rubbing it until the coughing stops. I weakly fall back against the pillows.

"It's going to be okay, Shawn."

"I dow," I respond and stubbornly try to sniff again. I wish the medicine would just kick in so that I can take a normal breath of air.

"Do you mind if I watch some TV?" he asks me while picking up the remote on the table.

I shake my head no, he can knock himself out with it if he wants. Having the TV on in the room wasn't going to bother me.

"Anything you want to watch?" he asks as he begins flipping through the stations, browsing for something to catch his interest.

Another shake of my head and now he's heading back to his bed while I settle back down in mine. I don't think I could follow a television program at this point. I just wanted to get back to sleep.

He finds some old movie and relaxes as he slides beneath his own sheets. I punch at my pillows trying to make them comfortable. I'm in the process of fluffing the last pillow when that itchy, crawly feeling begins inside my nose. I pull out the handkerchief just as the sneezes hit. _"Hxest!! Eheshh! Heh-Exhst!!!" _Unlike the earlier sneezes that were wet and productive, these ones felt like a pressure cooker was building up behind my eyeballs. I fully expected them to pop out and roll around on the bed.

Hunter leans over to look at me. "You alright?"

I rub at my nose and moan. "No," I whine. "I'm sidck."

He gives me a sympathetic smile. "The pills will be kicking in soon, you're going to feel drowsy and you'll fall asleep. When you wake up, you'll be feeling a lot better." he assures me.

"Eady for dou to say." I grumble. I reach over and take the water glass and drain the rest of it before putting the empty vessel back down. I stare daggers across the room, not wanting to, yet I'm unable to feel anything but jealous over his good health. He's gone back to watching his TV show now and I'm feeling a bit neglected.

I whimper some, hoping he will take his eyes off the TV and at least ask me if there was anything I wanted.

He ignores me.

I frown at the TV set that has my best friend's attention. Evil box of doom. If those pills would only work then I could breathe and fall asleep. I wouldn't have to worry about that boob tube and my partner's lack of interest in my well being.

I sniff loudly, and of course, start to cough, this time dry hacking coughs. I put a little more effort into them, making them a bit louder than they needed to be, and sure enough I got his attention.

He slides out of his bed and comes over to mine, helping me sit up and begins rubbing my back until the spasm passes. Once it does he gets up and refills the water glass and hands it to me which I take with a small smile. A few sips has my throat calm and I settle back against my pillows. "Thadks."

"No problem." he then returns to his bed and back to his show.

This continues for the next hour or so with me starting to get settled then either having a coughing or sneezing fit which brings him out of his bed and back over to mine to check on me. He brings me more water, fresh handkerchiefs out of my bag, rubs my back and tries to calm me down enough that I could fall asleep.

Truth be told I was more than ready after the fifth time I got him up, but I was enjoying the attention a bit too much. The pills were now kicking in and my nose had gone from being blocked to running like a freight train. I spent more time blowing it now and the tip was turning bright red, I was sure, as it was certainly sore.

I was miserable, and I wanted to make sure he knew it. He gave me this rotten cold, he was going to suffer as much as I was suffering right now. It had been about 15 minutes now since the last time he had checked on me. I yawned and felt my ears pop. Maybe I could fall asleep and let him have the remainder of his night in peace.

As I was considering this, my nose begin tingling, signaling another oncoming sneezing fit. I sat up and grabbed the hanky as my eyes squeezed closed. _"Heh-KESHHhhh! Hah-Chuhhh! Heh-HEKT-chuhh!!!" _

This time Hunter did not get up.

I blew my nose loudly and heard him sigh. "Can you keep it down a bit, Shawn?"

Obviously I was disturbing him. _Too bad._

I rolled over in my bed and put my back towards him. I cough again, this time I keep it to myself, smothering most of it in my pillow. Whatever movie he had been watching ends and I hear him turn the TV off. The room is now covered in darkness.

"Night, Shawn." he yawns over to me.

I grumble silently to myself, not wanting to be left alone like this. I was overtired, frustrated, grumpy and I wanted some more attention. Actually what I wanted was just to fall asleep and forget this miserable cold but I couldn't seem to accomplish that on my own for some strange reason.

I was also starting to feel cold, even though I still had all my clothes on and was covered by the blankets. I bundled them up tightly towards my body and try to relax. No good.

I rub my nose now on the blankets, I'm too irritated to go looking for my hanky. The rough fabric only serves to irritate my nose and instigates another sneezing fit. _"KHET-chhhhhh! Heh-HEKT-Chuhhh! heh- HEHHEeCHIshh!!" _ I make that last one a bit louder than all the rest.

All I get from Hunter is a few spoken words. "Bless you, Shawn. Now go to sleep."

"I'm trying," I mutter back at him. I feel my teeth begin to chatter and I try to stop them from making too much noise. _Why can't I just get warm? _ I whimper again, more out of instinct than to really bother him now. Everything hurt, and all I wanted to do was to fall asleep.

Something I did must have gotten his attention as I hear him get out of his bed and feel the comforting weight of his presence on my bed. "Jesus, Shawn, are you cold?" he asks me as he places his hands on my trembling form.

I nod and chatter and whimper. I feel his cool hand brush against my brow. "You're hot," he advises me. I start to lean into his touch but he moves his hand away and gets up off the bed.

"Not hot," I protest, wanting him back next to me. "I'm freezing."

"You've got a fever."

I just chatter back instead of responding as I curl into a tighter ball, trying to conserve what little body heat I had left.

He comes back to the bed and tries to get me to uncurl. Where I had wanted his presence earlier, now I just wanted to be left alone. Or something. I don't even know why I was fighting, except that I was.

He tries again. "Shawn, you need to take the Tylenol for the fever."

"Go away."

"Just take the damn pills so that you can feel better, sheesh." I hear him place something down on the table then feel his hands yanking the blankets away from my body.

"HEY!" I yell, reaching for the blankets back. The room now feels icy cold to me.

"Take the damn pills, Shawn and I'll give you the blankets back." He's holding them just out of my reach.

I shoot daggers from my eyes and roll over to take the pills, uncurling myself, yet still shivering while I do so. _"hah-Hahchuhh!! KHET-chhhhhh!" _ The sudden sneezes were directed into my elbow as I reached for the pills. Hunter picked up my hanky and handed it to me. I took it with one shaking hand and doled out three pills with the other. I swallowed them quickly with a sip of water then blew my nose, looking miserably at him while I did so.

True to his word, he replaced the blankets and tucked them in around my shaking body. I'm moaning now and stifling coughs into my pillow.

"Shh, shhhh," he tells me while rubbing his hands up and down my hidden arms.

"Sick," I say as if he didn't know this already.

"I know," he states while continuing to try to keep me warm. "I'm sorry."

After a few more minutes of my shivering and whimpering, he shoves me over a bit on the bed.

"Huh?" I croak out around a cough.

"Move over, Shawn." he uses his strength to push me to one side of the bed. I feel the bed shift as he climbs under the covers. "Come here," he states matter-of-factly.

"Whatcha doin'?" I'm puzzled, yet I scoot next to his warmth.

He wraps his arms around me and I already start to feel calmer. My trembling slows as he continues to rub his hands up and down my arms. "Just relax, Shawn. Close your eyes and let your body relax."

His mouth is near my ear and his breath is warm upon the side of my face. I stop fighting my body's reactions and allow him to soothe me and comfort me. Even my coughing settles down. I do end up stifling a few sneezes into my pillow but he doesn't seem to mind. He continues to speak softly near my ear, telling me that I can rest now, that I can fall asleep and I would be warm now.

Eventually my eyes begin to droop, and my breathing levels out. I yawn a few times and hear him do the same from behind me. Still, he doesn't let go, and his presence is a comfort that I'm grateful for. Finally it all becomes too much for me to stay awake and the last thing I am conscious of is his rhythmic breathing as he drifts off next to me. I follow him into dreamland seamlessly with a final yawn and a slight squeeze of his arm.


	3. Fever dreams

_I'm standing in the ring in front of a capacity crowd, looking out at the sea of faces chanting for me and my partner. The shouts of DX are rampant, and I feed off that energy. I go and get the mic for our promo spot, then run around the ring a few times to keep pumping this crowd up more, more.. MORE! I'm running, running, yet I'm not in the ring now, I'm in the gym and I'm on a treadmill, my feet pounding down on the machine as it speeds up and I know I must keep on running, can't stop or else he's gonna get me, so I run and even when my side develops a stitch I can't stop; even when my breath comes in hot, heavy pants, I can't stop. I must run... everything is a blur, the room seems to be spinning, I can't look up, can't stop... My legs cramp up and I fall off the machine and my only source of safety... the lights in the gym dim and now I'm in an empty room, save for the lights that are now blood red; there is only one door and I'm not near it... I've got no place to go, no where to run to, nowhere to hide... the door opens and they both enter the room, one larger than the next... I can feel the heat of the hellfire and brimstone as he leads the way- setting the room ablaze in flames while doing so... He's laughing at my pain, from the cramps, the heavy hot air not filling my lungs, he's laughing at me - his face in a twisted grimace that must be a smile from the Big Red Machine... yet its not him that has me cowering as much as the other one behind him... that tattooed face and horrible stench.. I know my time is up now as he half slithers, and half crawls towards my body; his mouth is filled with bits of gooey worms- dripping blood and guts all over the floor... he reaches in his pocket and pulls out another fresh handful, shoving the wiggling creatures into his gaping maw - chewing them slowly and with obvious relish... I'm more than repulsed, yet he inches closer to me and there is no where to hide as he opens up his mouth to spit those disgusting, half-chewed creatures all over my face in into my screaming mouth..._

I sit bolt upright in the bed, my heart hammering, my body perspiring heavily while I pant and try to keep from yelling out. My stomach gives a sickening lurch as the room begins to spin. Bits of the nightmare flit into my consciousness with every breath I take. The final image that woke me is the same one that fills my insides with revulsion, my stomach turns again and decides my next course of action. I can't fight the inevitable.

I toss the covers off me and run for the bathroom; pushing open the door, flicking the light on and running for the toilet, barely having enough time to lift the seat up before my stomach begins to void itself of the contents within to the water below. My hair drops like a curtain to hide my face as I kneel before the porcelain god, gripping the sides tightly, hanging on for dear life. Wave after wave of nausea washes over me as I continue to retch loudly.

In between the waves, I hear footsteps enter the room but I can't look up. I've now emptied my stomach of anything and everything inside, yet I'm still vomiting up bile. The spasms rack my body and I'm wishing it would just end.

I feel hands pulling my hair back and holding it behind my neck, then one hand places itself on my forehead as another spasm has me leaning forward, almost forcing the last of the bile and acid to exit my body. I spit hard into the water, then I'm left with dry heaves.

He holds me that way for a few minutes, calmly pressing his hand tightly while keeping my hair out of the way until the last of the spasms calm. I hear his voice now, soothing and quiet. "Shh. It's okay. Take a breath, Shawn."

I do so and slump against the toilet, the porcelain cool against my skin. Hunter releases me and reaches over to flush the stench away, allowing clean water to fill within the bowl. He gets up and I see him walk to the sink, take a washcloth and one of the plastic cups from the stash by the sink. The water runs briefly and then he returns to my side.

I haven't moved, and I'm still panting like a marathon runner, my body spent and my energy drained. He perches on the edge of the tub, absentmindedly pushing the curtain out of his way and hands me the cup. "Rinse your mouth out."

I take the cup with one shaky hand, sip the cool liquid and swish it around a few times before turning and spitting it out in the toilet. I repeat the action a few times until the sour taste has left my mouth. I dump the remaining water into the bowl then flush again. Hunter takes the cup from my weak grasp then wipes the cool cloth over my face. I sigh at the tenderness of the touch and the feeling of the grime being wiped away. My eyes close and I can't stop the shudder that travels down my spine.

"Are you finished?" He asks me and I can hear the concern in his voice.

I wait a few moments, concentrating on my stomach. It rolls a few more times but decides now that it's going to settle down. I open my eyes slowly and look at him. "I think so."

He puts the cloth and cup down by the sink then helps me to my feet from where I had been crouching. He pats me on the back once as I pass him to return to the bedroom. I walk slowly back to my bed and perch just on the end of it. I feel a bit better after the experience yet I'm exhausted as if I had just wrestled an Iron Man match.

Hunter comes into the room turning off the bathroom light and picks up my bag, setting it down on the bed next to me. "You might want to change out of those clothes."

I look down at myself and realize just how damp my clothes were. I must have had fever dreams and sweat buckets last night. I grimace and reach for the bag, unzipping it carefully. Pushing past my dirty tights, I locate a fresh change of clothing. "What time is it?" I'm aware that I have no clue as to how long I might have been sleeping.

"Just a bit after 3 am," he answers me and goes to sit on his bed.

Now that I am awake, I realize that the antihistamine must have worn off as my nose is starting to close back up. I sniff tiredly, and attempt to pull my sweater over my head, wanting nothing more than clean, dry clothes and to be back asleep.

Hunter watches me briefly before coming to offer his assistance, helping me ease my arms out of the sleeves and pulls the fabric over my head. He drops the dirty garment on the floor and then strips me of my T-shirt. "Do you want to shower now, or later?"

"Later," I advise him, knowing I didn't have enough energy to handle a shower right at the moment. My whole body ached, and now that I was partially undressed, I was feeling quite cold. My headache was returning and goosebumps now covered my exposed flesh. I reach down and undo my belt, pulling the leather free from the straps of my jeans and allowing it to join the rest of my clothes at the floor.

Hunter waits patiently, ready to offer assistance again if needed; but I'm able to unbutton and unzip my jeans on my own. I pull them down then step out of them before sitting back down on my bed, clad now only in my boxers and socks. I'm too ill to care as I now remove the remaining undergarments and change into clean boxers. Hunter has seen me nude plenty of times in the locker room; as I have him; so there is no embarrassment present. I forgo the socks for the moment choosing to put on a pair of sweatpants I had brought along to sleep in.

As I'm dressing, I'm fighting the urges my body is sending me. It wants to just collapse into a heap on the floor and curl into a ball. One of the urges I can't combat is the returning urge to sneeze, and I have to stifle two of them into my shoulder as my hands are somewhat occupied at the moment with putting my pants back on.

Hunter goes to the dresser and comes back with the complimentary box of tissues and pulls two out of the top, handing them over to me. I take them from him and blow my nose as he goes and gets the wastebasket from the bathroom and places it next to the bed. "You need any more help?"

I toss the tissues away, and pick up the T-shirt, unfolding it carefully. "No, but I'm gonna need more of that antihistamine." I take two more tissues out of the box and try to blow my nose again as it is quite stuffy. I rub it dry and the new tissues join the others in the bottom of the wastebasket.

He fetches the pills and this time pulls out a bottle of water from his bag. I pull the T-shirt over my head and shoulders, sticking my arms in the sleeves, each one feeling like it weighed over 500 lbs. My joints ached, my muscles were not cooperating completely and I was exhausted.

He hands me the pills and the water. "Don't drink too much too fast or you're gonna end up back in there," he nods towards the bathroom with his head. I take the pills with a small sip of water, then another few sips before handing him the bottle back. I start to turn to head back to my bed but am quickly stopped by the urgency to sneeze again. I grab for the tissue box as my eyes flutter closed and my jaw drops open. I grab a few and bury my nose within the paper folds. _"Hehh-KEHHTchhhh! Hehh-EKKTshhhh!" _

"Gesundheit."

"Thanks," I weakly blow my nose again and sigh. I turn to my bed and realize that my side of it is damp from the nightmare. Hunter follows my gaze with his eyes. "Your fever broke last night." he advises me with a small smile. He pats his bed with one hand as I toss the tissues away. "Come on, Shawn. Back to bed with you."

I'm too tired and sick to argue as he turns down the covers. I grab the tissue box and a couple clean hankies from my bag, placing both on the table between the beds. It's a relief to finally slide beneath the clean sheets and I expel a tired breath. Hunter moves the wastebasket next to the bed before climbing in the other side of it and pulling the covers up over both of us. "You gonna need anything else?"

"No," I yawn tiredly, already half-asleep. He gives me a brief hug as he reaches across my body to turn the light out. "Sleep well, Shawn."

"Night, Hunter." I respond and snuggle into the bed, his presence both warming and comforting to me as I slide back into a deep, dreamless sleep.


End file.
